Underwear



J. E. MORGAN Oct. 23, 1962 UNDERWEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 5, 1958 FIG.2

INVENTOR JOHN MORGAN ATTORNEYS Oct. 23, 1962 Original Filed May 5, 1958 J. E. MORGAN UNDERWEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN E. MORGAN BY 4/MJ 4 ATTORNEYS 3,059,459 UNDERWEAR John E. Morgan, 224 Cottage .Ave., Tamaqua, Pa. Original application May 5, 1958, Ser. No. 733,005, new Patent No. 3,006,175, dated Oct. 31, 1961. Divided "and this application July 3, 1061, No. 121,567

4 Claims. ((31.66-177) This application is a division of application Serial No. 733,005, filed May 5, 1958, now Patent No. 3,006,175.

The present invention relates to the production of knitted undergarments such as mens and boys briefs, undershorts, midways, ankle length drawers and ladies and childrens panties to provide in such undergarments rib 'knit body sections and crotch sections of enhanced elasticity and porosity which are connected in seamless manner to said rib knit sections.

In accordance with the invention, a section of fabric is rib knitted using a knitting machine comprising a pair of cooperating needle banks having opposed independently mounted needles. When the rib knitted section is completed, the pattern of knitting is altered by having the needles of one of the needle banks produce alternating single or multiple courses of tuck stitches and plain stitches to produce a section of increased elasticity and porosity. 'When the section of increased elasticity and porosity has been completed, the knitting machine is again employed with the needles of both needle banks knitting plain stitches only to produce a second section of rib knitted product. The switch from rib knitting to patterned knitting is effected by merely altering the cams which project the needles on one of the needle banks so that the rib and patterned sections are knitted together to form a single piece of fabric having no seam between sections. This single knitted piece is then cut to provide at least one rib knitted body portion and a seamlessly connected crotch portion of increased elasticity and porosity. Upon sewing the back and front body portions together, a knitted undergarment is quickly and efficiently provided possessing improved appearance, comfort and utility.

The knitting which is employed in accordance with the invention will now be more precisely described.

A pair of cooperating needle banks having needles mounted thereon for independent movement with the needles of one of said banks being interposed between adjacent needles of another of said needle banksis operated in conventional manner to knit with the needles of both of said banks to produce conventional rib knit courses. After a desired number of said rib knit courses have been knitted to produce a rib knit body section, the pattern of knitting is altered. In the new knitting pattern, the needles of one of the needle banks is operated in conventional manner so that whenever a fresh yarn is presented to the needles, these needles receive the fresh yarn and knit d the old yarn loop thereon. However, the needles of the cooperating needle bank are operated differently. During some of the knitting courses, the needles of the cooperating banks are projected to an in termediate or tuck position in which the fresh yarn is received within the hook of the needles but the old yarn loop is not cast off the latch. Thus, when the needle is retracted, a pair of yarn loops is left trapped within the hook and the old yarn loop is not knitted ofi. When a plurality of tuck courses are knitted, additional yarn loops pile up in the hooks of the cooperating needle bank. When the needles of the cooperating needle bank are knitted in conventional manner, all of the piled up yarn loops are knitted ofi. When courses of tuck stitches and courses of conventional stitches are knitted with the cooperating needle bank while the other needle bank continuously knits in conventional manner, a pattern is formed in which the fabric produced possesses in creased elasticity and porosity.

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The invention is preferably carried out on a multifeed circular rib knitting machine in which the stitch cams corresponding with yarn feeds which are spaced apart by other yarn feeds are automatically changeable to enable conversion from a conventional cam which projects the needles to a cast off position to a cam which only projects the needles to a tuck position to enable courses of tuck stitches to be produced. Thus, whenever the tuck cams are in operative position, conventional stitch cams with associated yarn feeds will pass the needles to cause conventional rib knitting action to take place for one or more courses. Then, when one or more yarn feeds associated with tuck cams passes on one of the needle ban-ks, conventional stitches will be knit .by one of the needle banks and tuck stitches will be knit by the other bank. Repeating this, a crotch section is knitted possessing increased elasticity and porosity. When the yard goods so produced is cut in appropriate manner, the cut product will possess a crotch section of increased elasticity and porosity which is connected without the presence of a seam to at least one and desirably two body sections which are rib knit-ted.

In a particularly preferred form of the invention, yard goods are produced having a pair of horizontal rib knitted sections separated by a horizontal patterned section which is produced to provide increased elasticity and porosity in accordance with the invention. After appropriate cutting to include terminal rib knitted portions and an intermediate patterned or mesh portion, there is provided rib knitted front and back body portions and an intervening crotch portion of increased elasiiqity and porosity which is connected to the rib knitted front and back portions without the presence of any seam.

The invention will be more 'fully understood fromthe description which follows taken inconjunction with .the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a-pairof mensundershorts produced in accordance with the invention;

'FIG. 2 is a back view of theundergarment-shown-in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pair of ladies panties produced in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a single piece of yard goods knitted in accordance with the invention and having phantom lines drawn across the same to indicate the lines on which the piece is to be severed to produce the undergarment of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a photographic illustration, on an enlarged scale, and showing that portion of the undergannent of FIGS. 1 and 2 where the front body portion joins the crotch portion to illustrate each of these portions and their seamless interconnection.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the mens undershorts pictured in FIGS. 1 and 2 is generically identified by the numeral 10 and comprises a front body portion or panel 11 knitted together with a crotch portion 12 of increased elasticity and porosity and a back portion 13 which extends around the sides of the undergarment as indicated at 14. The front portion 11 is doubled, the un derlying layer of fabric being designated 11 to form the fly front 15. Both of the layers which combine to form the front portion 11 are similarly knitted to include, without additional seam, the crotch portion 12. The body portions are seamed at their upper end to the elastic waistband 16. The front and back body portions are seamed together as indicated at 17 and the free edges of the variout panels are seamed as indicated at 18. The lower ends of front body portions 11 and 11' are seamed together and to the back body portions as indicated at 19. The crotch portion 12 preferably terminates before the seam 19 to provide the rib knitted border 20.

The ladies panties pictured in FIG. 3 and identified by numeral 39 is sewn from a single piece of fabric which has been cut to provide a front body ection 31, a rear body section 32 and an interconnecting crotch portion 33. The sections 31 and 32 are rib knitted whereas the crotch portion 33 is knitted with tuck stitches as explained hereinbefore. A waistband 34 is provided as shown and the sections 31 and 32 are seamed at the sides as indicated at 35.

FIG. 4 shows a single piece of yard goods 49 comprising rib knitted portions 41 and 42 interconnected by patterned portion 43. Phantom lines 44- indicate cut lines for producing a. blank which when sewn together at the sides and provided with a waistband will produce the ladies panties of FIG. 4. V

'In order to provide the desired elasticity and porosity, rib knitting may be performed using single opposed needles (1 x l needle positioning). It is preferred that there be employed groups of opposed needles so that the rib knitting is 2 x 2 or greater, e.g., 3 x 3, 2 x 4, 3 x 6, etc. A 2 X l knitting arrangement may also be used.

The invention is specifically described by a circular knitting machine having a cylinder and a dial and either a 1 X 1 or a 2 x 2 needle arrangement with eight yarn feeds. It will be appreciated that twelve, sixteen, twenty or more yarn feeds may also be used. When the needles of both needle banks are fully projected and retracted, a rib knit product is produced. However, when the dial,

for example, is caused to knit some tuck courses, and then 7 some plain courses, a patterned fabric will be produced. Some illustrative preferred patterned knitting sequences are forth below.

Feed Number Dial Cylinder Action Action inqmmnxo Pattern Sequence #2 (1 x I Needle Positioning) Feed Number Dial Action Cylinder Action P designates a plain stitch and T designates a tuck stitch.

The fabric pictured in FIG. 5 is produced by Pattern Sequence #2 set forth above.

I claim:

1. Mens undershorts, ladies panties and the like comprising a rib knitted front portion and a crotch portion knitted thereto, said crotch portion being rib knit with the stitches facing in one direction in some of the courses being tuck stitches to provide increased porosity and elasticity in said crotch portion.

2. Mens undershorts, ladies panties and the like comprising a rib knitted front portion, a rib knitted back portion and an intervening crotch portion, said front and back portions being sewn together at the sides thereof and said crotch portion being knitted to said front and back portion, said crotch portion being rib knit with the stitches facing in one direction in some of the courses being tuck stitches to provide increased porosity and elasticity in said crotch portion.

3. Mens undershorts, ladies panties and the like comprising a rib knitted back portion extending around the sides of the undergarment and secured to a pair of superimposed pieces of fabric constituting a front portion and a crotch portion knitted to said front portion, said front portion being rib knit and said crotch portion being rib knit with the stitches facing in one direction in some of the courses being tuck stitches to provide increased porosity and elasticity in said crotch portion.

4. Mens undershorts, ladies panties and the like as recited in claim 1 in which said tuck knitted courses repeat and there are a plurality of adjacent tuck knitted courses in each repetition thereof.

No references cited. 

